Exploring the Tomato engages with an apparently simple fruit in order to reveal major changes to society and economy. It treats the tomato as an object of fascination and as a probe into major historical changes in twentieth century capitalism.From first domestication to genetic modification, from Aztec salsa to supermarket pizza, the tomato has been continually transformed in the ways it has been produced, exchanged and consumed. This book explores what brings about a variety that is at once biological, historical and socio-economic. A conceptual framework of 'instituted economic process' demonstrates how different tomato forms are an expression of dynamic processes in capitalist economies and societies during the twentieth century. As both an early pioneer in mass production and a contemporary contributor to the creation of global cuisines, the tomato has been subject to intense innovation. Computerised total ecologies under glass, producing fresh tomatoes of all shapes, colours and sizes, compete with sun and southern climates across the world. To enter the variety of tomato worlds is to discover the variety of capitalism.
Written in an accessible style, this book makes a major contribution to the emerging field of economic sociology and to our understanding of the innovation process. It should be read by anyone concerned with social science, particularly economists and sociologists, as well as those interested in food and the history of food.
- ISBN10 1843768461
- ISBN13 9781843768463
- Publish Date 28 January 2004 (first published 18 December 2002)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
- Format Paperback
- Pages 320
- Language English